There was no indication that the ability of TP treatment to enhance ferrets’ neuronal Fos-IR responses to estrous female odors (experiment 1) resulted from increased locomotor activity or scent-gathering behaviors in steroid-treated subjects. Treatment with TP actually reduced locomotor activity in males, but not in females, regardless of which olfactory stimulus was present at the time of assessment (Table 2). This was reflected in a significant sex X steroid treatment interaction (F = 15.413, p < 0.01). Exposure to odors from estrous females or breeding males caused significant increases in sniffing behavior (F = 20.633, p < 0.01) in both sexes; however, these increments were similar in gonadectomized subjects given TP as opposed to oil vehicle.

TABLE 1. Total number of Fos-IR cells (mean ± SEM) per standard area in gonadectomized, TP-treated male and female ferrets after exposure to either a clean cage or to soiled bedding from a breeding male (experiment 2).

TABLE 2. Effect of TP treatment on locomotor activity and scent-gathering behaviors displayed by gonadectomized female and male ferrets placed for 30 min either in a clean cage or in a cage containing pheromones from soiled bedding from either an estrous female or a breeding male ferret (experiment 3).